Author: NZHarnessNews

Don’t let Zarias’s standing start record fool you in today’s Cambridge Gold Cup. Because while the promising pacer has just one placing in two attempts from behind the tapes trainer-driver Zachary Butcher says today’s $20,000 standing start over 2700m will suit his five-year-old. Zarias was a good last-start winner after a smart Monika Ranger drive when able to blast the gate from a mobile start, trail and use the passing lane but he goes up in grade today and back behind the tapes. He also faces a 20m handicap with…

Don’t let Zarias’s standing start record fool you in today’s Cambridge Gold Cup. Because while the promising pacer has just one placing in two attempts from behind the tapes trainer-driver Zachary Butcher says today’s $20,000 standing start over 2700m will suit his five-year-old. Zarias was a good last-start winner after a smart Monika Ranger drive when able to blast the gate from a mobile start, trail and use the passing lane but he goes up in grade today and back behind the tapes. He also faces a 20m handicap with…

VETERAN Kiwi trotting star Majestic Man overcame a huge betting drift to win a second Dullard Cup at Melton last night. The Phil Williamson-trained star drifted from $2.70 out to $8, but won an early speed burn to find the lead and never really looked in danger. “Dad’s been looking after him and said he was great going into it,” driver Brad Williamson said. “He felt terrific in front and it’s a great start to another trip over here. “He’ll go to the Great Southern Star now (next Friday) night…

by Jonny Turner Mark Hurrell enjoyed one of the biggest thrills of his career when winning the Wairio Cup with Robyns Playboy on Saturday. Hurrell produced a perfectly-timed steer to help the horse known as The Beast From The East bounce back to his best form. Robyns Playboy came into the Wairio Cup after producing a mixed bag of form since winning the Tuapeka Cup in his first start back from an Australian campaign. Though he was only sixth of seven behind Macandrew Aviator in the Northern Southland Cup last…

Paul Nairn thinks there could be an unusual reason for his affinity with Mt Harding Raceway. The Canterbury trainer has trained 15 winners at the Methven track, which doesn’t sound a lot until you consider 382 of his career 384 winners in New Zealand have been trotters and Methven don’t race often and have only 3 or 4 trotting races per meeting at the most. That and the fact Nairn doesn’t tend to line up horses for the sake of it and 15 trotting wins at Methven is no small…

by Jonny Turner Two of Southland’s star pacers are set for a battle royal in the Wairio Cup at Winton on Saturday. Open class stars Sand Wave and Macandrew Aviator have taken different paths into being the headline acts in Wairio’s annual 2400m feature. Macandrew Aviator comes into the clash fit and firing following his Northern Southland Cup win last week. Sand Wave hasn’t raced since beating a much lesser-assessed field at Gore late last month. Despite his lack of recent racing, the New Zealand Derby placegetter is likely to…

by Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk It was a night of upsets at Addington Raceway on Friday night, headlined by Folklore in the Gr.2 Garrards ‘Premier Mares’ Championship Mobile Pace (1980m). The Jonny Cox-trained and driven seven-year-old paid $44.10 to win the night’s feature and did it in emphatic style, cruising away to a comfortable 6-1/4 length victory. “She has got a good turn of foot, but it just helps when they are going hammer and tongs up front and she was able to sit off the speed and had…

The Wairio Trotting Club have taken the work out of finding a winner at their huge Wairio Cup Day meeting at Winton today. Check out our expert selections!  Wairio Winners – Race 1 Stepping back from longer trips to this mobile mile event looks a huge positive for Minnie McGoogan. She gets keen in her races and it takes its toll over the staying distances, but there is little chance of that here. Jordan Anne is a very genuine trotter who should give her eachway backers a good sight. Dwindle Mist brings the…

by Jonny Turner Sand Wave was crowned 2022 Southland Horse Of The Year and the Southland Harness Awards in Invercargill last night. During a brilliant three-year-old season the pacer won six of his 13 starts, banking more than $127,000 in stakes for trainer-driver Nathan Williamson and owners the Nine Three Syndicate, the Nude @ Ten Syndicate and Chris Alcock. Back-to-back victories in the Group Two Southern Supremacy Stakes and the Listed Sires Stakes Magnifique, as well as Sand Wave’s third placing in the Group One New Zealand Derby were clearly…